The city’s top lawyers group has declared Schools Chancellor Joel Klein’s overhaul of the school system is legal – and urged a judge to dismiss a lawsuit to try to block the changes as “without merit.”

New York City Bar Association, in an amicus brief, said the chancellor’s decision to replace 32 community school district superintendents with 10 regional superintendents does not violate state law – as legislators and the school supervisors union allege in a lawsuit.

“There is no reason why superintendents should not be permitted to cover more than one district if the chancellor determines that it is in the best interest of the school system and the children it serves,” said Frederick Schaffer, who heads the group’s panel on education and the law.